Here is a game for the more patient: the scores are totalled over three years, so you won't know if your selection has been successful until late 2017.

You need 18 riders, and eligibility is a lifetime CQ total of less than 200 points to the end of 2014. This dropbox file has about two and a half thousand names who each have less than 200 points, are at most 27 years old, and have scored some CQ points in the last 3 years.You can, of course, pick riders who are over 27, or who have had bad seasons for the last three years, or, more feasibly, who are CQ virgins.

This game has a later closing date than most: the end of January. In the context of a 3 year game, knowing the points from a few southern hemisphere races in one month is of negligible value.

As usual, names in surname forename format, with the CQ version of spellings where possible, and nothing else, to be PMed to me.

I will aim to provide monthly updates. However, I would be very happy for someone else to take on such updates: I'll set up the spreadsheet and do the initial analysis, but with the already in progress 2014-16 edition of this game, the decline game, and classics and GT games (and real life) intervening, I might not be able to dedicate much time to analysis and commentary.

We have 45 teams in the first iteration of the game, and 127 riders chosen, with some riders already emerging as significant both as selections and as collective omissions.

Yeah, I'm really excited about this game (and for last year's to continue). One of the big decisions is to take a rider that has scored virtually nothing and might not this year, but will probably turn pro next year and maybe have 2 big years? The number of potential picks may be quite a bit more limited than the main game, but it takes a lot of thought for most of the picks and the final makeup.

Yeah, who is the other?I'm gong to submit, but have 19 riders, and I can't decide who I am going to leave out.One of those with over 150 points that have already shown that they will be promising picks, or one of the youngsters of 18 who I have picked out and am rooting for & who just signed their first small contracts?

I have something to prove here as I am the backmarker in the original game:mad:
Problem is I am a bit late, I have plans to go out drinking after work both today and Friday. However I have strong intentions to put together a hungover team on Saturday if I am in any shape to turn on my computer:p

DJ Sprtsch wrote:Yeah, who is the other?I'm gong to submit, but have 19 riders, and I can't decide who I am going to leave out.One of those with over 150 points that have already shown that they will be promising picks, or one of the youngsters of 18 who I have picked out and am rooting for & who just signed their first small contracts?

Laurent Evrard?

Evrard and Teuns both miss the threshold by 2 points: they have lifetime totals of 201, the game requirement is less than 200.